ARLINGTON, Texas — For nearly 38 minutes, Kansas looked like it was back on track to return to the national title game.

It had kept national player of the year candidate Trey Burke scoreless for more than a half. It had watched redshirt freshman Ben McLemore break out of a slump to score 20 points. And it had built a 10-point lead against Michigan with 2:52 to play in a South Regional semifinal at Cowboys Stadium.

But Kansas never closed out the Wolverines. And freshman Mitch McGary set one of his trademark concrete screens and Burke found a sliver of daylight, which was all he needed to bury a three-pointer from about 28 feet out to tie the game with 4.3 seconds left in regulation.

Top-seeded Kansas has essentially already beaten fourth-seeded Michigan once. In overtime, the Jayhawks would have to do it again, and against a player in Burke who had finally found his shooting touch. And Michigan found a way to earn one of the more improbable victories in recent NCAA tournament history.

The combination of Burke (23 points) and McGary (25) helped put Michigan up by three points with one minute left in overtime. But the Jayhawks were not done and had a final chance to tie or potentially win the game with possession of the ball with eight seconds left.

With time running down, Kansas' Elijah Johnson penetrated toward the basket and appeared to have an open look for a layup. But he tossed the ball all the way back out to Naadir Tharpe, who badly missed a wild three-point shot attempt at the buzzer.

As the two teams shook hands, Johnson – who early in the game was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for appearing to hit McGary below the belt – remained in the corner of the court, hands on knees, motionless.

In 2008, Kansas coach Bill Self was on the other side of an improbable rally when the Jayhawks came back from a nine-point deficit in the final few minutes to beat Memphis in the national championship game. On Friday, he watched his Jayhawks squander a similar advantage and conclude a season filled with extreme highs and lows.

Michigan, which made its first Sweet 16 since 1994, sputtered to a 6-6 record down the stretch of a grueling Big Ten schedule. But the Wolverines recovered to easily beat Nate Wolters and South Dakota State and then successfully navigated VCU's frenzied defense in two NCAA tournament games.

Syracuse Orange guard Brandon Triche, left, and forward James Southerland reach to help Michael Carter-Williams late in a semifinals loss to Michigan at the Georgia Dome.
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Duke Blue Devils forward Ryan Kelly wipes his face and reacts on the court in the second half during the finals of the Midwest regional against the Louisville Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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Florida Gulf Coast Eagles forward Filip Cvjeticanin (15) and guard Brett Comer (0) help teammate guard Sherwood Brown (25) up from the court at the end of the semifinals game against the Florida Gators in the South regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Cowboys Stadium. Florida defeated Florida Gulf Coast 62-50.
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Michigan State Spartans players Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne react in the second half during the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament against the Duke Blue Devils at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers forward Jeremy Hollowell (left) and guard Remy Abell (23) react on the bench in the second half against the Syracuse Orange during the semifinals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at the Verizon Center. Syracuse defeated Indiana 61-50.
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The Miami Hurricanes bench react during the second half of the semifinals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament against the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Verizon Center.
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Arizona Wildcats forward Grant Jerrett (33, left) reacts after the semifinals of the West regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Staples Center. Ohio State defeated Arizona 73-70.
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Brandon Paul of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts after their 63 to 59 loss to the Miami Hurricanes during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Frank Erwin Center on March 24, 2013 in Austin, Texas.
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San Diego State Aztecs guard James Rahon walks off the court after the game against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in the third round. Florida Gulf Coast defeated San Diego State 81-71.
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Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mike Hart looks up at the clock late in the second half of the game against the Wichita State Shockers during the third round at EnergySolutions Arena. Witchita State won the game 76-70.
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Members of the Harvard Crimson watch from the bench as time winds down in the second half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at EnergySolutions Arena. Arizona won the game 74-51.
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Colorado State Rams head coach Larry Eustachy reacts in the game against the Louisville Cardinals in the first half during the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at Rupp Arena.
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James Madison Dukes guard Andre Nation (15) covers his face with his jersey after fouling out against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at University of Dayton Arena. Indiana defeated the Dukes, 83-62.
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Second round: The Cincinnati Bearcats bench reacts late in the game against the Creighton Bluejays during their second-round game at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Sabatino Chen (center) and Jeremy Adams (right) of the Colorado Buffaloes sit on the bench in the final minutes of their second-round game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at The Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. Illinois defeated Colorado 57-49.
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Second round: Pacific players react on the bench during the second half of a second-round game of the NCAA tournament against the Miami Friday, in Austin, Texas. Miami beat Pacific 78-49.
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Second round: Jordan Henriquez (21) of the Kansas State Wildcats reacts to his team's 63-61 loss to the La Salle Explorers in the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Second round: New Mexico players look on in shock and disappointment as the final seconds tick off the clock in their 68-62 loss to Harvard in Salt Lake City. The Crimson got their first-ever NCAA tournament win.
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Second round: Oklahoma State forward Michael Cobbins hangs his head on the bench during the closing moments of the Cowboys' second-round loss to Oregon. The Ducks prevailed 68-55 in San Jose.
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Second round: Matthew Dellavedova (4) of the St. Mary's Gaels reacts after he missed the last shot attempt of the game as the Gaels fell, 54-52 against the Memphis Tigers in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Palace at Auburn Hills.
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Second round: James Robinson of the Pittsburgh Panthers reacts after losing to the Wichita State Shockers 73-55 during the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena.
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Second round: Daniel Mullings (left) and Bandja Sy (right) of the New Mexico State Aggies look on from the bench during their 64-44 loss to the Saint Louis Billikens in the the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion.
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Second round: Dante Taylor of the Pittsburgh Panthers sits on the bench after the Wichita State Shockers defeated the Panthers, 73-55 in the second round of the NCAA tournament at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Second round: Bucknell guard Steven Kaspar sits on the bench in the final seconds of their 68-56 loss to Butler in the second round NCAA college basketball tournament game Thursday, March 21 in Lexington, Ky. Butler won 68-56.
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First round: Boise State Broncos guard Derrick Marks, left, reacts to fouling out with under a minute to go in the game and losing to the La Salle Expolorers during the first round at University of Dayton Arena.
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First round: Jamal Olasewere of the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds reacts during the second half of their 55 to 68 loss to the James Madison Dukes during the first round of the 2013 NCAA tournament on March 20 in Dayton, Ohio.
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First round: Liberty guard John Caleb Sanders has his potential game-winning shot blocked at the buzzer and reacts to losing to North Carolina A&T Aggies 73-72 on March 19.
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First round: Liberty's John Caleb Sanders hides in his jersey after he missed the last shot attempt of the game in his team's 73-72 loss to North Carolina A&T on March 19 in Dayton, Ohio.
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Cowboys Stadium was filled more with Jayhawks fans than Wolverines fans, but many were so far away from the court it hardly created a decisive advantage for Kansas. The Jayhawks did not need one at the game's start. They rushed out to a double-digit lead less than 10 minutes into action by scoring almost at will inside the paint.

Kansas scored its first 22 points in the paint, making 11 of its first 15 field goal attempts. The Jayhawks did not score their first points from the perimeter until McLemore's three-pointer put them up eight points, 25-17, at the 8:48 mark of the first half. McLemore's basket from beyond the arc was another great sign for the Jayhawks because the redshirt freshman had been 0-for-10 from three-point range in a little more than two full NCAA tournament games.

McGary absorbed the hardest blow in the first half; Kansas' Elijah Johnson was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul after he appeared to hit McGary below the belt. The shot did little to deter McGary, who was Michigan's best offensive weapon throughout the first half.

Burke missed all four of his field goal attempts in the half. He had more turnovers (three) than points (zero) at the break. And with the Jayhawks shooting nearly 70% in the half, Michigan was fortunate to be down just six points at halftime.

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Florida Gulf Coast Eagles forward Filip Cvjeticanin (15) and guard Brett Comer (0) help teammate guard Sherwood Brown (25) up from the court at the end of the semifinals game against the Florida Gators in the South regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at Cowboys Stadium. Florida defeated Florida Gulf Coast 62-50.
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Florida Gators forward Will Yeguete (15) dunks the ball against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in the second half during the semifinals of the South regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at Cowboys Stadium.
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Michigan State Spartans guard Gary Harris (14) reacts after falling to the floor against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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